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Description
They were walking through the park on the cold December morn. The air swirled crisp and chill about their bodies with their hands clasped together as they walked through the familiar woods. The snow, fallen the night before, caved beneath their feet. Crunch Crunch Tick. Crunch Crunch Tick. Crunch Crunch Tick. It was the sound he had always heard, as he walked beside his girl friend it echoed in his ears again. Crunch Crunch Tick. They had been together for six years, since they were twelve years old, and today was their anniversary. He had fallen in love with her all those years ago and they had grown up together, playing in the very woods they were now walking through. She had been the only one that didn't care that every where he went, the sound Crunch Crunch Tick followed him.

Joshua James had been born blind, he had never seen the world that he walked through, regardless he recognized the places by the sounds and feelings that surrounded him. However, he had heard the sounds a plenty and ever present was the foot steps that reminded him of his lack of sight. Step Step Tick. Squish Squish Tick. Crunch Crunch Tick. It almost upset him, drove him mad, made him feel crazy, that tick at the end of every step, every movement. Repeating over and over Tick. Tick. Tick. Tind. Blind. Blind. Blind. It hurt his heart, but it didn't matter anymore.

These were the last seconds that he would ever have to hear the tick, the surgery to give him sight had already taken place. The bandages were removed but fifteen minutes before hand, and just as he had been about to open his eyes the woman he loved said, "Wait. Don't look yet." She slipped the blue bandana over his eyes before he could see anything, and had brought him here. He was frustrated, angry but trusting to the girl he had given his heart to six years earlier.

He could tell that they were walking through the forest, past the old oak tree whose roots he had to memorize in order to keep from tripping, over the bridge where the bubbling brook spoke its secrets into the depths of winter, and deeper into the place they loved.

She giggled beside him, "You will never guess where I am taking you."

He already knew, that she was taking them to the spot of their first kiss, Elizabeth was sentimental in that way. Joshua needed sentimental in this moment of happiness in his life. She pranced beside him setting off the beat that accompanied his Crunch Crunch Tick. Her's turned to Crunch Crunch Crunch. Crunch Crunch Crunch, as if singing "Jingle Bells." He looked over at her trying to give a teasing look, but being unable to because of the blindfold that covered his brow.

"Where are you taking me?" He played along with her game, not wanting to spoil her fun.

She wouldn't tell him though, not yet, they hadn't arrived at the spot and why spoil a good secret. "I am taking you to see the magic of the world you have never seen."

"Oh really what magic is that?" His retort was still teasing, loving the moments that teased and taunted him before he saw the woman whose lips he had kissed for five years.

Her voice tested him again, "You'll see." It took everything he had not to just tear the blindfold off. He would wait for his Beloved, he would try to be patient and enjoy the last seconds of blindness just for her. He quickened his steps, taking a bigger one to get over the tree root that sprang up four years earlier. He maybe patient, but he wasn't going to wait much longer.

"Stop right there! Don't move!" Out sung her crystalline voice, pure as sunrise in the morn. He froze at the command, not moving a muscle. Rushing forward she stepped right in front of him. "Are you ready?"

"Maybe, I am nervous, scared a little." It was all he could admit to her.

"It will be ok, I promise."

"I know I trust you." She kissed his cheek taking the blind fold and untying it, she let it float away on the breeze. She looked into his clenched eyes, begging to stay in the dark. The comforting dark that they knew and loved, and demanding to see the sun. Little by little his eyes opened showing him the world he had never seen before, he focused first on the blonde haired green eyed beautiful freckled face in front of him. The beautiful lips that he had kissed about a thousand times curved into the first rosy smile he had ever seen, begging for one more kiss. Her breath fogged the morning air as it escaped her mouth, and into the snow covered paradise that his eyes focused on next.

The snowflakes danced chaotically across his vision, tantalizing him and begging for him to catch one. Sunshine flowing through the clouds, back dropping the world that opened like a play or movie. The trees knotted and snow worn, old redwoods standing like guardians in the old woods. He didn't know how to think, how to feel, how to react. The world jumped out at him in full color, partially blinded with the light, partially shocked by the colors; both were amazing, spectacularly beautiful. The breath taken away from him in that second jolted and scarred his memory. It was a wonderful scar and glorious scar, the scar of a perfect moment in time that he would remember for the rest of his life.

The forest called to his eyes, the green of the pine needles, the knotted twisting branches that wrapped around the sky like misguided frames. His senses were assailed by the sight, the hearing and his touch senses were thrown into a new perspective. For his entire like he had known that the trees were there, he had known that the wind whistled through the trees, that the root he tripped over for a year was there. Now he could see it, counting every step until that moment up until the root was no longer necessary. He could see the world, the colors, and the feeling made his weep.

He gasped and all she responded was with a giggle, "How do you like it?" She whispered the question, not wanting to ruin the moment for him.

"Wow," it was the only answer he could say, the only thing that came close to explaining how he felt. He was met with this huge terrifying world and was ready to join it for the first time as a real member. It took his everything to just say that one word, tears streamed down his face it ecstasy. He had hoped it would be like this, perfection met his eyes and he wasn't disappointed.

They stood there for hours not moving, she asked what he thought about the different sights that met his eyes; the snow, the trees, the snowflakes, and how she looked. They built a snowman, and as they turned to walk back home, they slowly faded away. Years passed, the story faded away, the hollow that they had once visited daily lay abandoned. However, the trees did not complain, the frozen earth did not break from being lonely. They had left behind one thing to keep their memory alive, leaning against the old redwood tree, was Joshua's bane. The tick that followed every sound leaned discarded and no longer loved. The cane, bent and rusted by the season, ravaged by time, still stood as a testament to what happened in one young man's life.

Description
They were walking through the park on the cold December morn. The air swirled crisp and chill about their bodies with their hands clasped together as they walked through the familiar woods. The snow, fallen the night before, caved beneath their feet. Crunch Crunch Tick. Crunch Crunch Tick. Crunch Crunch Tick. It was the sound he had always heard, as he walked beside his girl friend it echoed in his ears again. Crunch Crunch Tick. They had been together for six years, since they were twelve years old, and today was their anniversary. He had fallen in love with her all those years ago and they had grown up together, playing in the very woods they were now walking through. She had been the only one that didn't care that every where he went, the sound Crunch Crunch Tick followed him.

Joshua James had been born blind, he had never seen the world that he walked through, regardless he recognized the places by the sounds and feelings that surrounded him. However, he had heard the sounds a plenty and ever present was the foot steps that reminded him of his lack of sight. Step Step Tick. Squish Squish Tick. Crunch Crunch Tick. It almost upset him, drove him mad, made him feel crazy, that tick at the end of every step, every movement. Repeating over and over Tick. Tick. Tick. Tind. Blind. Blind. Blind. It hurt his heart, but it didn't matter anymore.

These were the last seconds that he would ever have to hear the tick, the surgery to give him sight had already taken place. The bandages were removed but fifteen minutes before hand, and just as he had been about to open his eyes the woman he loved said, "Wait. Don't look yet." She slipped the blue bandana over his eyes before he could see anything, and had brought him here. He was frustrated, angry but trusting to the girl he had given his heart to six years earlier.

He could tell that they were walking through the forest, past the old oak tree whose roots he had to memorize in order to keep from tripping, over the bridge where the bubbling brook spoke its secrets into the depths of winter, and deeper into the place they loved.

She giggled beside him, "You will never guess where I am taking you."

He already knew, that she was taking them to the spot of their first kiss, Elizabeth was sentimental in that way. Joshua needed sentimental in this moment of happiness in his life. She pranced beside him setting off the beat that accompanied his Crunch Crunch Tick. Her's turned to Crunch Crunch Crunch. Crunch Crunch Crunch, as if singing "Jingle Bells." He looked over at her trying to give a teasing look, but being unable to because of the blindfold that covered his brow.

"Where are you taking me?" He played along with her game, not wanting to spoil her fun.

She wouldn't tell him though, not yet, they hadn't arrived at the spot and why spoil a good secret. "I am taking you to see the magic of the world you have never seen."

"Oh really what magic is that?" His retort was still teasing, loving the moments that teased and taunted him before he saw the woman whose lips he had kissed for five years.

Her voice tested him again, "You'll see." It took everything he had not to just tear the blindfold off. He would wait for his Beloved, he would try to be patient and enjoy the last seconds of blindness just for her. He quickened his steps, taking a bigger one to get over the tree root that sprang up four years earlier. He maybe patient, but he wasn't going to wait much longer.

"Stop right there! Don't move!" Out sung her crystalline voice, pure as sunrise in the morn. He froze at the command, not moving a muscle. Rushing forward she stepped right in front of him. "Are you ready?"

"Maybe, I am nervous, scared a little." It was all he could admit to her.

"It will be ok, I promise."

"I know I trust you." She kissed his cheek taking the blind fold and untying it, she let it float away on the breeze. She looked into his clenched eyes, begging to stay in the dark. The comforting dark that they knew and loved, and demanding to see the sun. Little by little his eyes opened showing him the world he had never seen before, he focused first on the blonde haired green eyed beautiful freckled face in front of him. The beautiful lips that he had kissed about a thousand times curved into the first rosy smile he had ever seen, begging for one more kiss. Her breath fogged the morning air as it escaped her mouth, and into the snow covered paradise that his eyes focused on next.

The snowflakes danced chaotically across his vision, tantalizing him and begging for him to catch one. Sunshine flowing through the clouds, back dropping the world that opened like a play or movie. The trees knotted and snow worn, old redwoods standing like guardians in the old woods. He didn't know how to think, how to feel, how to react. The world jumped out at him in full color, partially blinded with the light, partially shocked by the colors; both were amazing, spectacularly beautiful. The breath taken away from him in that second jolted and scarred his memory. It was a wonderful scar and glorious scar, the scar of a perfect moment in time that he would remember for the rest of his life.

The forest called to his eyes, the green of the pine needles, the knotted twisting branches that wrapped around the sky like misguided frames. His senses were assailed by the sight, the hearing and his touch senses were thrown into a new perspective. For his entire like he had known that the trees were there, he had known that the wind whistled through the trees, that the root he tripped over for a year was there. Now he could see it, counting every step until that moment up until the root was no longer necessary. He could see the world, the colors, and the feeling made his weep.

He gasped and all she responded was with a giggle, "How do you like it?" She whispered the question, not wanting to ruin the moment for him.

"Wow," it was the only answer he could say, the only thing that came close to explaining how he felt. He was met with this huge terrifying world and was ready to join it for the first time as a real member. It took his everything to just say that one word, tears streamed down his face it ecstasy. He had hoped it would be like this, perfection met his eyes and he wasn't disappointed.

They stood there for hours not moving, she asked what he thought about the different sights that met his eyes; the snow, the trees, the snowflakes, and how she looked. They built a snowman, and as they turned to walk back home, they slowly faded away. Years passed, the story faded away, the hollow that they had once visited daily lay abandoned. However, the trees did not complain, the frozen earth did not break from being lonely. They had left behind one thing to keep their memory alive, leaning against the old redwood tree, was Joshua's bane. The tick that followed every sound leaned discarded and no longer loved. The cane, bent and rusted by the season, ravaged by time, still stood as a testament to what happened in one young man's life.